How to meet new people and make friends in Bengaluru (Bangalore)

Where can I meet new people in Bengaluru, offline?

Friendships grow from seeing the same faces often, so pick one or two of these and keep going back:

• A weekend walk or run in Cubbon Park. Go at the same time each week, and you start to recognise the same faces.
• Socials on Meetup and District. Look there for socials, talks and workshops in Bengaluru, and choose ones that repeat.
• Sports apps. Join a game of badminton, football or cricket that needs one more player, then play with the same group again.
• Trekking groups. A day on a trail outside the city gives a group hours to talk.
• Language exchanges. Practise Kannada, or help someone with a language you speak, week after week.
• Volunteering. A few hours a week for a cause you care about puts you next to people who care about it too.

How do I meet people in Mangos Land?

Mangos Land is a 3D Bengaluru made from OpenStreetMap, and apart from the staff the game runs, such as drivers, police and café staff, every person in it is a real player. Meeting someone works much as it does on a real street:

1. Set a status. Pick a social goal, or write a few words of your own, and it shows over your head with your profile photo (free account).
2. Walk up and say hi. Head over to someone whose status you like, or wave to the people around you (key F).
3. Chat. Text chat reaches the people within about 40 m, so a group standing together can talk. A shout carries about 150 m, and on a bus, seat chat reaches the people on the same bench as you.
4. Talk by voice. Join voice (key J, or the microphone button on a phone). The people within about 35 m who have joined voice too hear you, and you hear them. Voice is live and is not recorded.
5. Talk privately. Stand within a few metres of someone, then face them and press E, or choose Talk privately next to their name in People (key P). The private talk starts only if they accept, and up to 8 people can join one.

The social goals you can pick from are the game's own: Make friends, Meet casually, Explore cafes, Travel together, Go to pubs, Find a group, Try new activities, Make weekend plans, Meet people nearby, Be more social, Attend events and Build my circle.

How do I stay in touch with people I meet?

• Connect. Open someone from People (key P) and tap Connect. They see your request, and you are connected once they accept.
• Message. Private messages work only between connections, so only people you are connected with can message you.
• Share your Mango code. Every account has its own short code of letters and numbers, like K7M3Q. Say it or send it, and friends can find you with the Mango code search.
• Send an invite link. Copy it from your profile and send it to a friend. If they make a new account with it, the two of you are connected at once, and once they have stayed 5 minutes you each get 50 coins.
• Share a story. Post a photo with a caption: your connections see it for 24 hours, and a public story can also appear on the story boards in parks and on main streets.

Is Mangos Land for making friends, or a dating app?

No, Mangos Land isn't a dating app; it is a place to meet people. Nobody is paired up with you and there are no profiles to flick through. You see who is around, walk over and talk, as you would in a park, and what comes of it is up to the two of you: a new friend, a group to go out with, or maybe a date.

Talking costs nothing: chat, voice, private talks and messages are all free with a free account.

What can I do as a guest, and what needs an account?

As a guest you type a name, choose a character and walk the city, so you can look around before you decide. To chat, talk by voice, set a status, connect, message or share stories, sign in with Google. The account is free, and new accounts start with 100 Mango coins.

Everyone ticks a box to confirm they are 18 or older and agree to the Terms before entering, guests too.

How do I stay safe when I talk to new people?

• Block someone near you from People (key P), or from one of their stories. After that, the two of you no longer hear each other or see each other's chat, and they cannot send you requests or messages.
• Report someone from the same list to record what happened. The report is saved with the reason you pick, but it doesn't hide them or limit their account, so block them as well.
• Leave a private talk whenever you want. It only ever starts when you accept.
• Voice is not recorded, so if someone behaves badly, block them straight away. For anything serious, write to contact@mangosland.com, saying who it was, where and when.
• Keep your details to yourself until you trust someone, and never send money, documents or passwords to anyone you met here.
• If you choose to meet in person, meet in a public place and tell someone you trust.